Mithgar
#6103.95 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 14 books Status Unfinished 1984–2014 Reading commitment High Dennis L. McKiernan Last reviewed 2026-10-30
Overview
Mithgar is the fantasy world created by Dennis L. McKiernan, first seen in The Iron Tower trilogy (1984) and The Silver Call duology (1986), which began as a sequel to Tolkien before Doubleday had him set the tale in a new world. The books mix Men, Elves, Dwarves and Warrows, small folk of the Boskydells such as Tuck, Perry, Tip and Beau, with Wizards, dragons and the dark Gyphon, whose agents are the recurring villains. Later Roc novels, including Dragondoom, The Eye of the Hunter and its sequel Silver Wolf, Black Falcon, Hèl's Crucible, City of Jade and Stolen Crown, move around the timeline of six eras. The last novel, Stolen Crown, appeared in 2014.
Epic fantasy, Sword & sorcery · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (14 works) counts toward ranking
The Iron Tower Dennis L. McKiernan
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Dark Tide; First of three volumes; published in a single volume in 2000 as the omnibus The Iron Tower. | 1984 | 1 | core | 3.87 (2,877 ratings) |
 | Shadows of Doom; Second of three volumes; first published August 1984. | 1984 | 2 | core | 3.89 (2,244 ratings) |
 | The Darkest Day; Third of three volumes; first published September 1984. | 1984 | 3 | core | 3.95 (2,403 ratings) |
Three linked volumes about the Winter War against the dark mage Modru.
The Silver Call Dennis L. McKiernan
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Trek to Kraggen-Cor; First volume of The Silver Call; published in a single volume in 2001 as the omnibus The Silver Call. Set about 231 years after The Iron Tower. | 1986 | 1 | core | 3.89 (1,454 ratings) |
 | The Brega Path; Second volume of The Silver Call. | 1986 | 2 | core | 3.95 (1,085 ratings) |
Two volumes about the Dwarves' expedition to retake Kraggen-Cor, set two centuries after the Winter War.
Hèl's Crucible Dennis L. McKiernan
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Into the Forge; First volume of Hèl's Crucible; set in the Second Era, long before The Iron Tower. | 1997 | 1 | core | 3.95 (1,157 ratings) |
 | Into the Fire; Second volume of Hèl's Crucible. | 1998 | 2 | core | 4.05 (1,186 ratings) |
Two volumes following the Warrows Tip and Beau in the Second Era.
Other Mithgar novels Dennis L. McKiernan
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Dragondoom; First published in paperback by Spectra; written between 1982 and 1988. | 1990 | 1 | core | 4.16 (1,443 ratings) |
 | The Eye of the Hunter; First published October 1992 in hardcover. | 1992 | 2 | core | 4.01 (1,647 ratings) |
 | Voyage of the Fox Rider; First published in hardcover in October 1993. | 1993 | 3 | core | 3.98 (1,232 ratings) |
 | The Dragonstone | 1996 | 4 | core | 3.93 (1,377 ratings) |
 | Silver Wolf, Black Falcon; Direct sequel to The Eye of the Hunter. | 2000 | 5 | core | 4.11 (873 ratings) |
 | City of Jade; First published in hardcover by Roc in 2008. | 2008 | 6 | core | 3.76 (426 ratings) |
 | Stolen Crown; Tells the War of the Usurper, which earlier Mithgar books mention. | 2014 | 7 | core | 3.82 (308 ratings) |
Standalone and loosely connected Mithgar novels published between 1990 and 2014.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Mithgar? Mithgar's Core Canon is 14 books.
- What is the reading order for Mithgar? Publication order, starting with The Dark Tide. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Mithgar finished? Unfinished (1984–2014).
- How much reading does Mithgar take? High reading commitment (estimated from 14 Core Canon books).
- How is Mithgar ranked? #610 in this site's official ranking, based on 19,712 reader ratings across 14 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #610?
Ranked #610 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.95 across 14 core books.
- A smaller readership (19,712 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.76 to 4.16.
- 0.04 behind #609, Just a Pinch of Magic.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 14 books · Unfinished · 20k ratings · Ranks #610 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running epic fantasy universe.
Reading order
Publication order (14 Core Canon books)
- Shadows of Doom (1984)
- The Dark Tide (1984)
- The Darkest Day (1984)
- The Brega Path (1986)
- Trek to Kraggen-Cor (1986)
- Dragondoom (1990)
- The Eye of the Hunter (1992)
- Voyage of the Fox Rider (1993)
- The Dragonstone (1996)
- Into the Forge (1997)
- Into the Fire (1998)
- Silver Wolf, Black Falcon (2000)
- City of Jade (2008)
- Stolen Crown (2014)
Documented internal/story order
- The Dark Tide (1984)
- Trek to Kraggen-Cor (1986)
- Into the Forge (1997)
- Dragondoom (1990)
- Shadows of Doom (1984)
- The Brega Path (1986)
- Into the Fire (1998)
- The Eye of the Hunter (1992)
- The Darkest Day (1984)
- Voyage of the Fox Rider (1993)
- The Dragonstone (1996)
- Silver Wolf, Black Falcon (2000)
- City of Jade (2008)
- Stolen Crown (2014)
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Suggestions computed from what Mithgar and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn / Osten Ard Epic fantasy · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.10
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- Chronicles of Amber Epic fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.08
- The Hythrun Chronicles Epic fantasy · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.08
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.95 across 19,712 ratings on 14 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: Women of the Otherworld, Weather Warden, The Morganville Vampires, The Walker Papers, Jane Yellowrock, Mithgar, Opowieści z meekhańskiego pogranicza, Tarean and Woran-Saga accepted 2026-10-30
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Mithgar.com author bibliography Tier 2
- Penguin Random House Mithgar series Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Mithgar Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Dennis L. McKiernan Tier 2
- TV Tropes: Mithgar Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-10-30
Rule: Core Canon = the fourteen Mithgar novels from The Dark Tide (1984) to Stolen Crown (2014), covering The Iron Tower trilogy, The Silver Call duology, Dragondoom, The Eye of the Hunter, Voyage of the Fox Rider, The Dragonstone, Hèl's Crucible, Silver Wolf, Black Falcon and City of Jade; omnibus editions, the Tales of Mithgar collections, the Vulgmaster story and the separate Faery series are excluded.